An Introduction to Hamiltonian Optics


Book Description

Accessible study provides detailed account of the Hamiltonian treatment of aberration theory in geometrical optics. Many classes of optical systems defined in terms of their symmetries. Detailed solutions. 1970 edition.




Essentials of Hamiltonian Dynamics


Book Description

Classical dynamics is one of the cornerstones of advanced education in physics and applied mathematics, with applications across engineering, chemistry and biology. In this book, the author uses a concise and pedagogical style to cover all the topics necessary for a graduate-level course in dynamics based on Hamiltonian methods. Readers are introduced to the impressive advances in the field during the second half of the twentieth century, including KAM theory and deterministic chaos. Essential to these developments are some exciting ideas from modern mathematics, which are introduced carefully and selectively. Core concepts and techniques are discussed, together with numerous concrete examples to illustrate key principles. A special feature of the book is the use of computer software to investigate complex dynamical systems, both analytically and numerically. This text is ideal for graduate students and advanced undergraduates who are already familiar with the Newtonian and Lagrangian treatments of classical mechanics. The book is well suited to a one-semester course, but is easily adapted to a more concentrated format of one-quarter or a trimester. A solutions manual and introduction to Mathematica® are available online at www.cambridge.org/Lowenstein.




The Hamiltonian Vision, 1789-1800


Book Description

The creation of American diplomacy and power as an art




Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Dynamics


Book Description

An introductory textbook exploring the subject of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian dynamics, with a relaxed and self-contained setting. Lagrangian and Hamiltonian dynamics is the continuation of Newton's classical physics into new formalisms, each highlighting novel aspects of mechanics that gradually build in complexity to form the basis for almost all of theoretical physics. Lagrangian and Hamiltonian dynamics also acts as a gateway to more abstract concepts routed in differential geometry and field theories and can be used to introduce these subject areas to newcomers. Journeying in a self-contained manner from the very basics, through the fundamentals and onwards to the cutting edge of the subject, along the way the reader is supported by all the necessary background mathematics, fully worked examples, thoughtful and vibrant illustrations as well as an informal narrative and numerous fresh, modern and inter-disciplinary applications. The book contains some unusual topics for a classical mechanics textbook. Most notable examples include the 'classical wavefunction', Koopman-von Neumann theory, classical density functional theories, the 'vakonomic' variational principle for non-holonomic constraints, the Gibbs-Appell equations, classical path integrals, Nambu brackets and the full framing of mechanics in the language of differential geometry.




Introduction To Classical Mechanics


Book Description

This textbook aims to provide a clear and concise set of lectures that take one from the introduction and application of Newton's laws up to Hamilton's principle of stationary action and the lagrangian mechanics of continuous systems. An extensive set of accessible problems enhances and extends the coverage.It serves as a prequel to the author's recently published book entitled Introduction to Electricity and Magnetism based on an introductory course taught sometime ago at Stanford with over 400 students enrolled. Both lectures assume a good, concurrent, course in calculus and familiarity with basic concepts in physics; the development is otherwise self-contained.A good introduction to the subject allows one to approach the many more intermediate and advanced texts with better understanding and a deeper sense of appreciation that both students and teachers alike can share.




Introduction to Hamiltonian Dynamical Systems and the N-Body Problem


Book Description

This third edition text provides expanded material on the restricted three body problem and celestial mechanics. With each chapter containing new content, readers are provided with new material on reduction, orbifolds, and the regularization of the Kepler problem, all of which are provided with applications. The previous editions grew out of graduate level courses in mathematics, engineering, and physics given at several different universities. The courses took students who had some background in differential equations and lead them through a systematic grounding in the theory of Hamiltonian mechanics from a dynamical systems point of view. This text provides a mathematical structure of celestial mechanics ideal for beginners, and will be useful to graduate students and researchers alike. Reviews of the second edition: "The primary subject here is the basic theory of Hamiltonian differential equations studied from the perspective of differential dynamical systems. The N-body problem is used as the primary example of a Hamiltonian system, a touchstone for the theory as the authors develop it. This book is intended to support a first course at the graduate level for mathematics and engineering students. ... It is a well-organized and accessible introduction to the subject ... . This is an attractive book ... ." (William J. Satzer, The Mathematical Association of America, March, 2009) “The second edition of this text infuses new mathematical substance and relevance into an already modern classic ... and is sure to excite future generations of readers. ... This outstanding book can be used not only as an introductory course at the graduate level in mathematics, but also as course material for engineering graduate students. ... it is an elegant and invaluable reference for mathematicians and scientists with an interest in classical and celestial mechanics, astrodynamics, physics, biology, and related fields.” (Marian Gidea, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2010 d)




An Introduction to Hamiltonian Mechanics


Book Description

This textbook examines the Hamiltonian formulation in classical mechanics with the basic mathematical tools of multivariate calculus. It explores topics like variational symmetries, canonoid transformations, and geometrical optics that are usually omitted from an introductory classical mechanics course. For students with only a basic knowledge of mathematics and physics, this book makes those results accessible through worked-out examples and well-chosen exercises. For readers not familiar with Lagrange equations, the first chapters are devoted to the Lagrangian formalism and its applications. Later sections discuss canonical transformations, the Hamilton–Jacobi equation, and the Liouville Theorem on solutions of the Hamilton–Jacobi equation. Graduate and advanced undergraduate students in physics or mathematics who are interested in mechanics and applied math will benefit from this treatment of analytical mechanics. The text assumes the basics of classical mechanics, as well as linear algebra, differential calculus, elementary differential equations and analytic geometry. Designed for self-study, this book includes detailed examples and exercises with complete solutions, although it can also serve as a class text.




Simulating Hamiltonian Dynamics


Book Description

Geometric integrators are time-stepping methods, designed such that they exactly satisfy conservation laws, symmetries or symplectic properties of a system of differential equations. In this book the authors outline the principles of geometric integration and demonstrate how they can be applied to provide efficient numerical methods for simulating conservative models. Beginning from basic principles and continuing with discussions regarding the advantageous properties of such schemes, the book introduces methods for the N-body problem, systems with holonomic constraints, and rigid bodies. More advanced topics treated include high-order and variable stepsize methods, schemes for treating problems involving multiple time-scales, and applications to molecular dynamics and partial differential equations. The emphasis is on providing a unified theoretical framework as well as a practical guide for users. The inclusion of examples, background material and exercises enhance the usefulness of the book for self-instruction or as a text for a graduate course on the subject.




Hamiltonian Methods in the Theory of Solitons


Book Description

The main characteristic of this classic exposition of the inverse scattering method and its applications to soliton theory is its consistent Hamiltonian approach to the theory. The nonlinear Schrödinger equation is considered as a main example, forming the first part of the book. The second part examines such fundamental models as the sine-Gordon equation and the Heisenberg equation, the classification of integrable models and methods for constructing their solutions.




The Hamilton Affair


Book Description

A New York Times Bestseller and one of the best historical fiction books of 2016 and 2017! “A juicy answer to Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton…” --Cosmopolitan Set against the dramatic backdrop of the American Revolution, and featuring a cast of legendary characters, The Hamilton Affair tells the sweeping, tumultuous, true story of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler, from passionate and tender beginnings of their romance to his fateful duel on the banks of the Hudson River. Hamilton was a bastard and orphan, raised in the Caribbean and desperate for legitimacy, who became one of the American Revolution's most dashing--and improbable--heroes. Admired by George Washington, scorned by Thomas Jefferson, Hamilton was a lightning rod: the most controversial leader of the new nation. Elizabeth was the wealthy, beautiful, adventurous daughter of the respectable Schuyler clan--and a pioneering advocate for women. Together, the unlikely couple braved the dangers of war, the perils of seduction, the anguish of infidelity, and the scourge of partisanship that menaced their family and the country itself. With flawless writing, brilliantly drawn characters, and epic scope, The Hamilton Affair tells a story of love forged in revolution and tested by the bitter strife of young America, and will take its place among the greatest novels of American history ever written.